[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 22



IRAN----executions/females

2 Pakistani women hanged


The Iranian regime's henchmen hanged 5 prisoners on Saturday in the main prison 
in city of Zahedan, in southeastern Iran. The 5 inmates that included 2 women 
citizens of Pakistan had been arrested on drug related charges.

The Saturday's hanging of 5 prisoners in Zahedan was not announced in official 
media.

Last week, on Thursday, September 17, 2014, at least 17 prisoners were hanged 
in cities across Iran, including 5 in public. The executions were carried out 
in cities of Shiraz, Marvdasht, Kerman and Bandar Abbas. A group of 4 prisoners 
were hanged in public in Shiraz while another group of 8 sent to gallows in 
Shabab Prison in city of Kerman.

Reacting to the UN Secretary-General's annual report to the UN General 
Assembly, which referred to some aspects of the catastrophic situation of human 
rights in Iran, the Iranian regime's chief justice, Mohammad Javad Larijani, 
said last week: "Who is this Mr. Secretary-General to tell us you should stop 
the executions? Who are they to say so? The death sentence for Corruption on 
Earth is an internal matter ... Much of the things that were said in the 
official report of an important international organization; they are cheap, 
baseless words that lack reasoning."

The inaction by the international community, particularly the Western 
countries, regarding violations of human rights in Iran, including over 1,000 
executions since Hassan Rouhani assumed office, has emboldened the clerical 
regime to continue and ramp up torture, execution and suppression.

(source: NCR-Iran)






CHAD:

Chad wants to criminalize gay sex----The country's new penal code abolishes the 
death penalty but punishes gay sex with up to 20 years in jail


The Chadian cabinet has adopted a new penal code that punishes gay sex with up 
to 20 years in prison.

Section 361 of the code states that the punishment for anyone who has sexual 
intercourse with persons of the same sex is 15 to 20 years imprisonment and a 
fine of 50,000 ($98) to 500,000 francs ($980), according to an official 
document obtained by AFP.

The draft text, which still has to be approved by parliament, was adopted on 4 
September by the Council of State.

The old penal code did not explicitly mention homosexuality.

The government said these provisions were introduced to 'protect the family and 
to comply with Chadian society.'

The new penal code also abolishes the death penalty.

Florent Geel, Africa director of the International Federation of Human Rights, 
said, 'This is very good news, which is unfortunately marred by the 
criminalization of homosexuality.

'Criminalizing homosexuality seems discriminatory, demagogic and 
counter-productive, as it may turn groups against each other.'

He said the reform of the penal code had been in preparation 'for 10 years,' 
but the question of homosexuality, hitherto considered a crime, 'has never 
really been an issue' in Chad.

(source: Gay Star News)






SAUDI ARABIA:

Belonging to One of the Most Bloodiest Terror Cells Convicted of Committing 
Different Crimes


As many as 20 out of 94 Saudi nationals accused of belonging to one of the most 
bloodiest terror cells in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were sentenced to varying 
terms of death penalty and imprisonment for embracing deviant expiatory 
thinking that is contradictory to the Quran and Sunnah (prophet Mohammed's 
sayings and deeds), disobeying the King's instructions of not joining 
terrorist-led fighting abroad, joining an extremist group inside the country, 
using the media to support terror cells and provide shelter for some wanted 
men, financing terror and terrorist operations, possessing weapons and 
ammunition without license and several other offences, receiving military 
training to fight the State, killing suspect persons to be enemies of their 
groups, keeping contact with deviant groups inside and outside the country, 
purchasing 5 tons of aluminum nitrates, booby-trapping vehicles to terror and 
kill policemen, committing suicide bombings inside the country, planning to 
explode oil pipelines and killing foreigners residing inside the Kingdom as 
well as prominent Ulemas, security officers, investigators, literate men, 
special emergency forces command and other grave crimes.

A specialized criminal court issued here today preliminary sentences ranging 
from death penalty for 4 of them to different terms extending from 2 to 23 
years behind bars.

The session was attended by Ulema judges, general prosecutor, a representative 
of the human rights commission, media representatives and advocators.

The convicted were given 30 days to appeal against the court's decisions.

(source: spa.gov.sa)



INDIA:

Law Panel Gets 400 Responses to Ban Death Penalty


At a time when the Supreme Court has commuted the death penalty of as many as 
15 convicts into life imprisonment citing delay in deciding its mercy 
petitions, the Law Commission has so far received over 400 responses demanding 
abolition of death penalty.

Besides seeking public opinion, the Law Commission's research will use data 
from various courts, prison authorities and even law school researchers to 
compile. The commission is reassessing the law on the death penalty.

This is the 2nd time since Independence that a commission is studying capital 
punishment. The 1st time the death penalty was studied was in 1967, when the 
commission's report concluded that given the diversity of India's population 
and the need to maintain law and order, at the present juncture, India cannot 
risk the experiment of the abolition of capital punishment. India is one of the 
59 nations that retain the death penalty and has used only in rarest of rare 
cases.

Under the IPC, crimes that are punishable with a death sentence include 
treason, abetment of mutiny, perjury resulting in the conviction and death of 
an innocent person, murder, kidnapping for ransom and dacoity with murder.

The draft report is being prepared under the Chairmanship of former Delhi High 
Court Chief Justice A P Shah.

"We are studying the over 400 responses received so far from people and is 
preparing a draft report to the same soon. So far there is a consensus amongst 
people is that they want to abolish the existing death penalty," Shah said.

The SC has commuted the death penalty of 15 convicts citing a UN resolution of 
2007 which states that inordinate delay in hearing mercy pleas is a clear 
violation of their fundamental rights.

(source: New Indian Express)